Dance of Destiny
by Life-destiny
Summary: AU. He had an intense dislike towards human females who were vulnerable and utterly useless in his opinion. When a girl appeared proving every one of his believes wrong, he decided that he didn't really like her. Did he? FemRyoxYuki plus some FujixOC.
1. Chapter 1

**DANCE OF DESTINY**

Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be achieved.

_-__William Jennings Bryan_

CHAPTER 1

There is no heaven or hell, only Earth. No angels and demons, only humans, devils and seekers. Devils- nonhuman beings with the physical features of a human, with more acute senses of sight, hearing and smell than normal humans, borned with special powers, making them physically stronger and allowing them to have a longer lifespan. Seekers- humans born with special powers or humans with an ability to see the souls of the dead. The two species- human and devil have coexisted ever since the start of life, with only a minority of the human race knowing of their existance, as they prefered to keep their origins and species known to themselves. To many others, they were only seen to be humans due to their human-like features.

"You must learn, my children that you are worlds apart, but you need each other. Never think that your kind is superior, my children. You need each other." The mother of Earth had said on her deathbed to her two children- the first devil and human of their kind to be borned on Earth. She also warned them that the foundations of the coexistance would be destroyed centuries after her death, and only when the choosen ones of both species came together would they be able to stop this impending destruction on Earth.

As time passed, the belief of the prophecy being true slowly weakened, as for centuries nothing happened to even shake the foundations of their coexistance. Slowly, it was forgotten or said to be an untrue prophecy as generation passed…

* * *

"Ryoga…" The furious female mouthed a name as she scanned through the destroyed room, her fist clenching and unclenching to release some of her anger. Saying that a tornado had went through the room was an understatement, as it looked as though a dozen tornados had gone through the room was more like it. The sofa had an ugly long scratch across the seats, the shelves of books were half-destroyed and books were thrown all over the place. The vases were knocked all across the room and she noted with increasing fury that the television looked as though it had suffered a blow on its screen. In her mind she could only picture one single person who was capable of doing this amount of damage to her house. Ryoga.

Storming past the messy living room, she headed towards the first bedroom in her way and slammed the door open, seeing what she had expected to see. Ryoga half-dressed, with one of his arms wrapped tightly around the waist of an unknown female, gave her a sloppy grin that a child would give a parent when caught stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Glaring at her brother, she hissed under her breath as she noticed that the female was actually a devil, and that she was trying to push her out of the room with her aura.

"Ryoga… What did you do to my house?!" She almost screamed in fury as she repelled the female devil's aura with her own and marched in front of him, demanding for an answer.

Ryoga glupped, hesitating to say the truth which would lead him to his grave, but another glare from her caused him to stutter out the truth. "I… we… got abit carried away… in your… living room…"

The female, obviously not reading the mood in the air, snuggled up towards Ryoga and pointed her finger at her. "Honey~ Why don't you get that thing away so we can continue to play?" She sneered as the male beside her froze in horror and turned white.

Ryoma was absolutely fuming at the mocking tone directed at her and her very own aura showed itself as it wrapped around the female devil's neck and she was lifted up from the bed. "You dare to say that again and I'll purify you with my aura, get it?!"

The female devil whimpered as she struggled against the strong aura which rendered her helpless and fearing for her life she nodded her head vigorously. Ryoma let her slip from her tight hold and as the female hurried away from her and out of her house she turned her attention towards the shivering male once more.

"My dearest sister… you'll forgive me right?" He managed to stutter as he gave her his helpless look, and her glare shook the very core of his heart.

"Most certainly, my dearest brother~" She drawled in a very threatening way, "why don't you just get out now?" She finished as she dragged him by his collar across the living room, dumped him in his half-dressed state infront of her door and slammed it shut in his face.

It took Ryoga a moment to realise that he was being locked out for good and a sudden thought came to his mind.

"RYOMA~~~ Let me in~~~ I can't stay like this, I have a gathering later. Ryoma~~~!"

* * *

Careful eyes scanned though the crowd, and the owner of the pair of watchful eyes frown at what he saw. Out of the dozens of devils congregated at the gathering, most had a partner or mate of the human species, even though the number of female devils were clearly outnumbering the number of male devils. How could they actually live with and love a female from the human species, he could not understand. The entire look, feel of the female humans screamed their vulnerability, as though like a glass doll that da to be handled with care. So fragile, so weak, and a mere clench of his fist around their necks would probably kill them. Plus the disgusting fragrance was all over the place and especially thick around the 't they have spared a thought for their mates' sensitive noses before they drown themselves in thick layers of perfume?

It wasn't just the humans though, he wrinkled his nose in disgust, the female devils were also drowning themselves in perfume, and their presence could be known minutes before they even appear in sight. He grimaced as a female devil slided up to him.

"Yukimura-sama~ Aren't you bored here alone?" She purred as a tendril appeared from her aura and curled around him slightly. Seeing no objections from him as to what she was doing, she daringly reached out more of her tendrils, as she snuggled closer.

"No, I'm waiting for someone." He gave her his trademarks smile, one that did not come from the bottom of his heart as he allowed his aura to flare and like a burning flame it licked and pushed away the offending tendrils of her aura. She was too close for his liking and as her perfume travelled up his nose and burned his nasal, he took a step back and declined her advances nicely but firmly. Inside, he was losing his patience at an alarming rate as he tried to revive his nose.

The female didn't seem to get his rejection, or totally ignored it as she moved closer to him. He felt his nice friendly façade starting to slip. Another step closer and he would just choke her to death with his aura, he decided. It wasn't as though her existance was that important, she was just some unknown female devil and she was certainly asking for her own death.

Luckily for the female, another male who had noticed the sudden increase in intensity at Yukimura's aura decided to step in before she would be turned into ashes. Politely dismissing the devil he was talking to he made his way across the hall to where the former male was standing. His own aura reached out to his, only to form some sort of barrier between the female devil and Yukimura, effectively sutting all contact between the two auras.

Yukimura raised an eyebrow as he recognised the male devil before him. "Fuji." He pleasently greeted, "What brings you here?"

"Saa… Preventing you from doing something you'll regret?" The brunette gave him a smile as he subdued his aura. The female, finally getting the point that she was not wanted hurried away, but not before giving Yukimura a suggestive wink. Silently chuckling, Fuji watched as Yukimura almost rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Like killing her with my aura? I certainly won't regret that." He gave another gentle smile as he spoke the threatening words, his voice spiked with spite and venom. Fuji looked at his closest friend and sighed.

"Maa… you better not. She's the daughter of one of your company's major investors." Fuji consoled and made a feeble attempt at calming the raging male before him. Yukimura certainly did not keep his intense dislike of humans and females to himself. It was obvious, the way he treated every female kindly, but remained cold and distant to them. In his mind, they were probably not worth even acknowleging.

If anyone were to be blamed for this character of Yukimura's, it would be his father. A player in every sense of the word, his father was extremely popular among females, be it human or devil. Blessed with extremely good looks, most of which had passed down to Yukimura except for his eyes, he certainly did not reject any woman that came his way, much unlike his son. His mistresses changed every day like changing clothes, and while his wife, Yukimura's mother did not stop him, Yukimura certainly did not hesitate to voice out his disgust at his own father. The sight of his father with one woman in each arm everyday disgusted him to his core, and since a long time ago, Yukimura's dislike towards female had established, with the concept that females were weak but crafty, and did not stop to offer their bodies in exchange for fame and money.

Knowing better than to irrate him in his anger, Fuji sipped at his glass of cocktail as he waited for him to calm down. He could even guess what the former male was thinking. "Yukimura. Have you seen Ryoga? He is no where to be found."

Looking at Fuji in half amusement, Yukimura glanced around the room and indeed, the half-devil was no where to be seen. "Probably late, that Ryoga. I heard that his sister had just came to Japan."

"Really? His sister indeed, I wonder how she would look like?" Fuji pondered as he analysed the food before him.

"As well as I know of your weird tastebuds, I must warn you of the human food you're holding. It is known to burn your tongue." Yukimura glanced at his friend worriedly, as well as noting the small piece of food in his hand.

"I certainly know that. I have been quite facinated by this food… What do you call it? Oh yes, Wasabi that the humans invented." He chuckled as he dropped a piece of the wasabi sushi into his mouth, his tongue licking at his lips as he savoured the dish. "Oh yes, and if my vision have not fail me I believe that the male at the other side of the hall strongly resembles Ryoga… without a date." He finished his statement in surprise. It wasn't an everyday thing to see Ryoga without a date.

Motioning for Ryoga to come towards them, Yukimura clicked his tongue in distaste. "He should not play around too much. One of this days he'll fall prey to a woman."

"Oh, but he's not married or engaged." Fuji pleasantly replied, knowing very well that Yukimura disliked this habit of Ryoga's even though they were very very close friends, a surprise given that Ryoga was only a half-devil who had human blood within him.

"Yukimura, Fuji." Ryoga greeted them half-heartedly as he approached, letting himself slump onto the pillar beside him for support.

Seeing his lack of enthusiasm even with the abundance of females had Yukimura and Fuji staring at him a surprise. Now, this was rare. For Ryoga to act so full of fatigue was a first, and it certainly did not help that he was dateless.

Smiling inwardly, Fuji asked curiously. "What happened to you? Dateless?"

Groaning at the word dateless, Ryoga slumped onto the pillar even further, as though trying to push himself into it. Looking at them with pleading eyes, he almost whimpered as he replied. "Don't even talk about woman now. I've had enough of them for today already."

"Ryoga having enough of woman?" Fuji's eyes slightly widened as he shared a look of concern with Yukimura, the later also wondering if something had happened. "What have happened to cause you to think like that?"

Flinching as though he was struck by lightning at the memories of what had happened earlier, he trembled as he stuttered out the next words. "My sister has arrived in Japan."

"Maa… Your younger sister. Perfect, we were just talking about he just now, why don't you tell as more?" Fuji smiled in amusement at what he heard. To have Ryoga shivering even at the thought of her was some feat, and Fuji had to give credit to the unknown female who had Ryoga trembling at her feet. Even Yukimura was amused, as the playboy Ryoga was being single-handedly controlled by the female.

"She… she…" Ryoga trembled before he mustered the courage to continue, deciding that his sister would have no ways of knowing that he had badmouthed her behind his back, before he ranted. "She's a devil alright. A cold blooded, terrifying devil! I'll be killed if I do anything to anger her!" He wailed towards his two closest friend.

"Well, seeing that you are a half-devil, won't your sister be one too?" Yukimura muttered logically, teasing as he actually understood what Ryoga was implying.

"No! No! You don't understand." Ryoga shook his head in panic, "She is not a mere devil, she is a cold blooded, blood thristy, dangerous Satan reincarnated from hell. I swear she's even worse than Satan. She almost killed my date!" He shivered as he half ranted, half cried and the memories left him trembling for fear once more.

"Killed you date?" Fuji was now highly amused at his vivid descriptions of his sister, and as he polished another of the wasabi sushi he couldn't help it but to ask. Yukimura looked very much interested to know as well.

"Well… we were just playing around you know, and accidently destroyed the living room." He started sheepishly and under the stares of his friends he retorted. "Hey, you know we're stronger than humans right? And well… we got carried away. Ochibi wasn't very please with the mess we made… so she… threatened my date… and kicked me out of the house." He almost bursted into tears at the last part. "And I was only half-dressed you know! And there was this gathering, but she absolutely refused to let me in until an hour later and made me clean up the mess. And she had to go through even one of the single spot checks until everything was sparkling before she let me off. She's a Satan I tell you. No, Lucifer plus Satan combined!"

Laughing out loud, Fuji ignored the stares of Ryoga and noted that Yukimura was smiling as well. Not one of his plastered smiles, but one of true amusement. No wonder Yukimura accepted Ryoga as one of his close friends, he could lighten the mood anywhere.

"Hey~!" Ryoga cried out indignantly as he saw his two friends laughing at him. "Wait until you see her, you'll get what I mean!"

"Saying of which, Yukimura is joining us at Dragon Academy starting from tomorrow. Why won't you come to our academy, Ryoga?" Fuji stilled his laughter as he probed Ryoga.

"Dragon Academy…" Ryoga trailed as blood escaped from his face. "Oh no, no, no. This can't be true…" He glupped as he stared at Yukimura with what could have been a look of pity. "My sister's going there as well."

Raising an eyebrow at his reaction, Yukimura almost smirked as he teased. "Ryoga, I'm not afraid of your sister like you are." Fuji gave a cheshire grinned at the recent development.

Totally ignoring what he said, Ryoga grabbed Yukimura's hands, "Yukimura… Promise me you'll never go ten meters near her. I don't want to loose such a wonderful friend like you! I can't survive the guilt if you were to be killed!" He wailed as though it was Yukimura's deathbed, and Fuji chuckled at the sight of pleseant surprise on Yukimura's face.

"Ryoga, you believe that I'll be killed by your sister?" Yukimura could hardly believe his ears. While it was nice to be called wonderful, he certainly did not think that a normal devil, much less a half devil could kill him.

"No…" Ryoga composed himself slightly, as he thought logically for the first time this night. "You are strong… Hey, maybe you won't die!" He smiled comically at Yukimura, before switching to a serious tone. "But seriously, don't get too close to her and anger her. Too dangerous… definitely too dangerous…"

Fuji could only laugh at the obviously unhappy look on Yukimura's face, it was certainly no surprise as to why he was so pissed off. His closest friend who probably knew of his strength was worrying for him over another female. But the look on Yukimura's face was definitely priceless.

Before Yukimura could retort to what Ryoga had said, Fuji interupted, "Ryoga, won't you join us? Marui and Niou would certainly welcome you. Plus it will be lonely for you at your academy without Yukimura."

"No way! My sister has specifically ordered not to go to the same school as me, and if I tranfer, she'll kick me out of the house." Ryoga grumbled as he dismissed the offer.

"The house is no longer yours but hers?" Yukimura smirked as Ryoga gave him a look that told him not to dwell on the topic that obviously struck him on his core.

His eyes watered as he recalled the truth, not forgetting to sniff every now and then. "My parents actually gave her the house! How could they?!" He continued to cry as he clung onto Fuji for support. "I'm homeless! And she won't allow me to bring girls back to the house!"

"Maa…" Fuji was at a loss of word at his friend's rantings. Half of him wanted to laugh at the state of Ryoga, since he had never really supported his playboy ways, but the other half pitied him. A glance at Yukimura told him that he was too, torn between being amused and pitying him.

Glaring at his two friends Ryoga groaned. "You guys, don't you dare to laugh at me, I'm already pretty pathetic right now, so don't make things worst."

That was the limit, Fuji's mind could hardly register before he finally lost control and started laughing, gasping as he tried to catch his breath. Yukimura was also somewhat like him, as the male bent over only to burst out into soft laughter that rang in Ryoga's ears. The sight of the red-faced Ryoga certainly did not help stop their laughter, as they continued laughing, attracting the looks of the people around them.

"Hey, hey! Stop laughing! Seriously!" Ryoga looked as though he was going to have a fit when they finally managed to grasp some self-control and stopped their laughing. This guys! What had he done to deserve friends like this that only laughed more when he was obviously suffering?

Still gasping slightly for breath, Fuji straightened as he tried to look serious to atone for what he had done. A slight cough from Yukimura indicated that he was doing the same. Ryoga glared daggers at them as he stuffed one of the cakes into his mouth in mock anger.

A thought suddenly struck him. "Oh shit."

"What?" Fuji and Yukimura asked almost simultaneously, a sudden wave of concern washing over them.

"Her cat arrives tomorrow!" Seeing the bewildered looks of his two friends, he hastily explained. "I'll tell you that cat of hers is seriously not, I repeat, NOT a normal cat. It's definitely the reincarnation of the Satan's sidekick!"

Looking at Ryoga's flushed face, Yukimura and Fuji took another deep breath as they once more broke into wild laughters, very much worst than before. Ryoga stared at the two of them in horror.

"Come on guys, stop laughing! It's NOT funny!!!"

* * *

I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS, but I do own the story :D

This fanfiction story is dedicated to thfourteenth, who requested for a supernatural story, combined with romance.

Well, my 2nd fanfic is now out! ^^ I hope you will like this story, which is quite different from my other story Choosey Lover.

Comments are welcome, and I don't really mind flames if they come with constructive comments. Do tell me what you think of this story I would love to hear words of encouragement and compliments if you find this to your liking of course, I mean who doesn't?

Well, that's all. I'll try to update both of my stories. ^^

Life-destiny

A slight note: Satan is known to be the most powerful demon in hell, and Lucifer is known to be a fallen angel gone to the dark side. Both are very scary


	2. Chapter 2

**DANCE OF DESTINY**

Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be achieved.

_-__William Jennings Bryan_

CHAPTER 2

Dragon Academy was definitely well-off, Yukimura mused as he walked along the pathways of the academy. It was unusually silent, as all the students were in their respective classes having lessons, while Fuji was taking him around to show him round the school. A privilege for devils, they were able to skip classes as and when they like, as the school principal knew of their species. The teachers mostly didn't know that, but were told to give way to certain students who were thought to be the daughters and sons of distinguished people, which wasn't totally fake. Most devils did had high positions in the human society, but the principal of this academy was a human, if he had not guessed wrongly. They students were also warned to be polite and gracious towards the 'certain' students, that they were not to be messed with. Secretly every devil knew that the principal was fearing for his students' lives, believing that the devils would have no problems in killing them out of spite or anger. Like he would waste his effort killing them, Yukimura sneered.

After the short tour, he and Fuji made their way to their next class, which was Advance English. Even though they could probably skip without getting into trouble, it did not meant that they would take advantage of that. Unlike their fellow human classmates, they understood the importance of education, and what's the point of attending school if you skip lessons? And he was quite sastified that there were no school uniforms and the students could just wear whatever they wanted to school.

The teacher allowed him to introduce himself, and as he stated his names and imagined hobbies he glanced around the lecture room, noting that Tezuka, Yanagi, Atobe, Inui and Yagyuu were also in his class. Not surprised, given their academic abilities, he was pleasantly surprised that the teacher had kindly assigned him to a seat beside Fuji, though he had a feeling that Fuji had 'nicely' requested for it. Tezuka, Atobe and Yagyuu were seated behind him in a row, while Inui and Yanagi were 2 rows behind him. There was an empty seat beside him, which he placed his bag over.

The teacher paused, suddenly remembering that there was a new student in class and waved a hand, signalling for the student to come in. The rest of the students leaned forward to catch a glimpse of the new student. It wasn't everyday that you get two new students in your class.

A girl stepped into the class, making her way towards the teacher, her watchful eye taking in the sight before her. The girl had taste in her clothings, Yukimura thought as he took in what she was wearing. Unlike most other females that wore flashy skirts of shorts that hide nothing of their legs, she had gone for a more casual, boyish style by wearing a pair of jeans, a loose T-shirt and a leather jacket over her T-shirt. Her hair was let down and it graced her feminine features, her golden eyes wide and attentive. While her outfit bared little skin, it showed her slender cuves at her waist and her jeans showed her long legs. Altogether, she gave off a feminine but dangerous feeling with her outfit. Dangerous? He caught himself as he shook his head. How could a mere human female be possibly dangerous?

The teacher seemed pleased with her choice of outfit as well, as she gave her an apraising smile and announced to the class. "This is Echizen Ryoma and she will be joining us for lessons from today onwards. Echizen has just returned from America and her english is flawless, so if any of you have any problems you can always ask her. Echizen, you'll be sitting beside Yukimura. Yukimura, raise your hands please."

Yukimura raised his hand slightly, and though his face wore a smile, he was irritated at having to listen to the female teacher. He watched as the new student bowed slightly to the teacher before making her way up the stairs towards him as he took his bag away from the seat. He braced himself for any attack of the perfumes but even as she got into her seat nothing assaulted his nasal. Surprised, he turned himself towards her and sniffed the air tentatively, realising that she had no trace of perfume on her, but a refreshing smell of… nature? He had no idea that such a smell existed. It was lightly sweet, with a tinge of vanila and grass, and for once he believed that a human could actually smell nice.

Fuji seemed to have seen his reaction, and he lightly chuckled, earning himself a glare from Yukimura. The girl however seemed to be totally obvious as she stared at her books, staying absolutely silent. Yukimura forced himself to stop taking in her scent and instead focused on his book as well. But he couldn't help sneaking a few glances in her way once in a while, and all the time she seemed to be motionless, staring at the same page of her book.

Ryoma was irritated. The male beside her named Yukimura was giving her glances every now and then, and she was almost certain that he was sniffing at her when she first seated herself beside him. He was a devil, she confirmed, as his aura was basically flaring all over him and that was also one of the main reasons for her to feel uncomfortable. She didn't dislike devils, she had reasoned, but the devil aura was somewhat irritating as it accidentaly brushed against her skin once in a while, almost causing her own aura to show itself. Her identity as a seeker had to be kept as a secret for as long as possible, and she wanted the devils to believe that she was just a normal human being for as long as they can. And therefore she had to maintain a pokerface, pretending that she had not felt the aura brushing against her, as well as pretending that she had not seen the auras of all the devils.

And it certainly did not help that she was in an extreme bad mood ever since yesterday. That stupid brother of hers had just managed to spoil her day. Hissing to herself, she shifted over to lean on her left hand as she stared at her book, her eyes scanning through the easy contents.

Yukimura jerked slightly at her sudden movement. Could she possibly be able to see his aura? Had she just felt his aura brushing against her? It wasn't his fault exactly, he was too carried away for a moment and his aura had accidentally come in contact with her skin. A normal human would not have been able to felt it, and he could not detact any aura from her at all, therefore concluding that she was just a normal human. He heaved a sigh of relieve as she boredly stared at her book, as though not noticing him at all.

The teacher seemed to have sensed her boredom, and decided to have a group discussion to engage the students better. So the students of the class were grouped into groups of three, leaving her in a group with Yukimura and the brunette beside him. They were supposed to dicuss their wish for their future. A stupid topic for discussion, Ryoma had thought, since most people were predictable. A thought that was running on somewhat of the same lines was passing through Yukimura's mind. Fuji decided to break the silence between the group first.

"Maa… My wish is to find a girlfriend by next year." He jokingly answered, earning weird stares from Yukimura and Ryoma. Yukimura was thinking of how absurd Fuji was, while Ryoma was secretly wondering why someone of his calibre could not get a girlfriend. Of course she knew that he was a devil, but others probably didn't and with the beauty that his face gave off, girlfriends were probably not a problem. Hell, if her stupid, undeserving brother could get dozens, then he could get at least one right?

Seeing no response from the two of them, Fuji directed his question at her. "Echizen-chan, what is your wish for the future?" Yukimura looked at her with some sort of curiousity, wondering what this female would probably wish for.

Ryoma widened her eyes slightly before she gave a soft sigh that did not escape the ears of both Yukimura and Fuji, and closed her eyes. Only after a few seconds in deep thought, just when they believed that she was not going to answer, did she softly whispered. "I wish I can celebrate my birthday next year." It came out extremely soft, with a tinge of longing and sadness in it as she mouthed those words. It was the first time she had spoken for the entire lesson, and Yukimura was pleasantly surprised that her voice was neither too high or low, but had a soothing tone to it.

He then sneered at her wish. Despite being different from most others in terms of looks and style, her way of thinking was certainly very much the same. Ignorant and absolutely childish. Her wish was just a mere celebration of her birthday? How innocent, he sniggered.

Ryoma was now doing her best not to smother the male beside her at smirking at her wish. He had no idea how significant it was to her, knew nothing of her circumstances and yet he dared to mock her? Even though his facial expression showed nothing of it, Ryoma was able to tell. She wasn't just any ordinary seeker, her powers extended to even reading the minds of weaker devils, and towards strong devils like Yukimura and Fuji, she could sort of know how they were feeling. She felt despise and mockery in his aura, and it didn't take a genius to know that he was mocking at her.

She calmed herself before firing the question towards him, wondering how would he answer the question. "What about you? What is your wish?" She asked in a way that could be classified under harsh. Yukimura frowned slightly at her but was returned with an uninterested look. Was it possible that she had read his mind?

"I have no wishes." He bluntly replied, and was not expecting the reaction she gave.

Ryoma almost snorted as she rolled her eyes. "That just means you're aimless. And lost." She added, emphasizing on the word 'lost'.

Yukimura fumed at the way she was talking and sneering at him. "I'm not lost. Wishes are stupid."

"That's either because you're perfect or just being stupid. I believe that it's the later." She countered, while Fuji was laughing to himself beside them. It was rare to catch Yukimura fighting verbally with a girl instead of just silencing her with his aura.

"Do not insult me, woman." He glared at her as she inspected her nails in a way that told him that she found the conversation utterly stupid and was not going to participate in it.

She cringed slightly at his tone, but otherwise mantained her cool composture as she mockingly inspected her nails, knowing full well that it would probably anger the male even more than retorting to him. And it did. Yukimura's aura flared even more than before and was now wrapping around her. She wondered for a moment if she should let her aura out before she was burned into ashes by him but Fuji saved her troubles by interupting them.

"Yukimura." Fuji's cool voice managed to calm him down slightly. "We're in the middle of the lesson. And we need to write our wishes down."

Yukimura glared at him as he snatched the paper and pen away, scribbling something on the surface of the paper just after the two wishes of the others. He handed in the paper without letting any of them see what he had written, and after collecting the papers the teacher announced that it was the end of their english lesson. Yukimura heard the female beside him gave a sigh of relief as she started packing her things into her bag, paying absolutely no attention to him. He frowned. Even though he did not exactly like attention from females, the lack of attention from this certain female angered him for some unknown reason.

"Oh, Echizen-chan, your friends are here for you!" The teacher suddenly announced, looking extremely shock but pleased that the new student had been able to make friends on her first day of school. She was beaming at Ryoma… until she saw who the friends were. "Ah! Good… morning Sanada-san, Marui-san, Kikumaru-san and Niou-san." The teacher managed to stammer. She was warned before never to mess with this group of people, as they could potentially destroy her career if they wanted to. Her eyes flew from them to her new student immediately, worrying for the safety of the new one.

Yukimura watched as his friends stepped into their classroom, earning gasps from everyone else. He felt Ryoma stiffened as she quickened her pace, stuffing everything into her bag as she cursed under her breath. "Oh shit." Then she stood up and glared at the group of devils. "Sensei, they're not my friends."

And just as she was about to escape from the room, a pair of hands came wrapping around her neck and an additional weight was added on her head. She groaned, attempting to throw whoever was on her onto the ground but the grip was really tight and she was starting to suffocate and choke. "Kikumara…" She hissed as she gathered all her energy in one last attempt to flip him over and this time she succeeded. Kikumara was sent flying across the room, but he managed to regain balance midway and landed on his feet. Curse those devils for their physical advantage, she muttered under her breath as she took long deep breaths.

"Nya~! Ochibi, why did you throw me?" Kikumaru whined as he once again pounced on her, but this time she was prepared and managed to side dodge it as Kikumaru landed head first onto the ground.

"Why did I throw you? You're trying to kill me!" She stomped over to where Kikumaru was and managed to dodge the flying figure from behind just barely in time. "Not you too!" She clenched her fist as Marui landed onto of Kikumaru, and it took all her self-control not to just kill all this devils already. They had been bothering her for her entire first period and she was running low on reasons why she should not just kill them. Patience, she muttered to herself, patience.

Groaning as the two of them pulled themselves off each other and the ground, they did not seem to feel the death glares sent to them from her as they once again attempted to glomp the female. Ryoma sighed as she finally relented, too tired to fight and resist them, letting them treat her like some teddy-bear for hugging. As long as they did not try to suffocate her, she reasoned. Marui and Kikumra, extremely pleased with the lack of defence from her, took one of her arms each, slinging her onto both of their shoulders and trotter off with the female sighing desperation.

Yukimura could only watch in amazement, while Tezuka and Sanada shook their heads in pain, Niou and Fuji laughing to themselves, Inui and Yanagi carefully classifing the new information, Atobe snorting to himself and Yagyuu being passive as usual.

"What is Marui and Kikumaru doing with her?" Tezuka finally managed to ask the multi-million question. The rest leaned in to hear what Niou and Sanada had to say.

"We had advance German lessons just now." Sanada started.

"And Marui and Kikumaru was just playing around..." Niou grinned.

"When Kikumaru landed on her table…" Sanada rubbed his temples.

"And she basically threw Kikumaru off her table across the room like what you saw just now…" Niou's grin only widened.

"And Marui and Kikumaru decided that she was really interesting…" Sanada took a pain reliever.

"And has been pestering her since last lesson." Niou's smile was now absolutely sadistic. "I think they really like being shouted at."

"Probably because everyone else treats us with so much repect that we don't seem to be like students." Yanagi offered. "So it's the first time they feel like they are being treated as a real normal student."

A snort came from Yukimura as he heard what Yanagi said. "Treated like normal students? Why would they want to be treated normally when they can be special?"

"Right, hearing from the someone who was sniffing and glancing at her from the very beginning till the end." Atobe retorted, "Ore-sama has spotted you looking at her all the time."

"I was not!" Yukimura flushed, not used to the sudden accusation, as he hurriedly looked away.

"Not all the time," Inui and Yanagi corrected at the same time, "it's 92.5% of the time. 7.5% he looked away only because she was looking at him, probably thinking he's crazy."

"I wasn't looking at her, I was just…" His voice faltered. He was just… what? Oh yes, just occasionally looking at her because she didn't smell like a human.

"Just?" Niou prompted, flashing a knowing look with Fuji.

"Just…" Yukimura flushed even more as he turned away from the stares of the curious devils, only to find himself face to face with Fuji. Bad move, he thought as Fuji flashed him one of his sweet but absolutely evil smile. He was saved when the door of the lecture room was slammed open.

All eyes turned to the door as Ryoma came running into the room, dragging Marui and Kikumaru along with her. She jumped up the stairs three at a time, with the two devils groaning at the bumpy journey before she dumped them infront of Yukimura and his gang. She just happened to look at Yukimura first, but the later simply flushed and turned his head away, suddenly remembering the conversation earlier. Raising her eyebrow at his reaction, she pulled her glance away from him. Yes, she had much more pressing matters on her hands right now.

"You guys," She addressed the entire lot of devils before her, "Stay here and don't move till I come back."

Kikumaru and Marui instantly jumped up wailing the word why a dozen of times, making an entire scene, while the rest were probably not really listening to her. Her vein started throbbing. The two noise makers continued making more noise, whining about why they were not allowed to follow her, while Yanagi and Inui were calculating the time it would take for her to burst, Fuji and Niou still laughing to themselves. This was too much, and her patience was wearing thin.

"You guys…" She started drawling with an extremely sweet smile on her face, before it turned instantly into a menacing glare. "SIT!"

The atmosphere instantly changed as her command peirced through the air, reverberating in the room. It held so much command and fury that everyone glupped. Kikumaru and Marui crashed themselves onto the ground at her shout, Niou swallowed his saliva as he practically ran to a chair and plonk down on it, Sanada pulled the nearest chair to him and sat rather hastily, and the rest who were already sitting grabbed onto their chairs and table more firmly. She glanced at the group, only to find all of them looking at her with full attention and she smirked. Now this was better, she mused.

"You will stay here till I come back." It was not a request, but a command. Just when Marui and Kikumaru was about to open their mouths to ask why, they were silenced with her glare. No one dared to speak as she made her way out of the room. Just as she was about to exit the room, she turned around to face the devils once more. "Stay." She threatened for the last time before she went out.

The room was in total silence for another five minutes, as everyone was either too shocked to speak or was too traumatized. As though they were frozen, each of them dare not even move a single muscle until she returned about five minutes later, slightly sweaty. Looking at the devils there were exactly where she left them, she finally showed a grin as she approached them. "Well done. I'm back." She simply stated, taking a step back as life seemed to return to them once more.

"Huh?" Marui wondered out loud for a moment, before noticing that Ryoma was back once more, and pounced onto her in glee. Kikumaru did the same, and Ryoma was instantly buried under two bodies, her muffled gasps for breath being heard every now and then. Sanada snapped back, glancing at the lump in front of him and secretly wondered why a mere word of the human female could silence them. Atobe was fuming that he had, quite unlike himself, took orders from a pathetic human female. Fuji and Niou were just exchanging weird glances at each other, both taking note never to defy the said female next time, while Yanagi and Inui were compiling more data, both noting down that this female was most definitely dangerous. Tezuka made a mental note that he would invite this female over the next time he demanded for some attention to be paid to him. Not that he had no ways of getting full attention, but her method was faster and more efficient than his run-100-laps method. Yukimura was just, shocked and mentally screamed at himself for even listening and following what she said. He was not to comply simply to the orders of a female. She did not even requested politely, she demanded. He fumed slightly at his own carelessness.

After untangling herself from the two devils, she managed to slip out of their grasp, coughing slightly to herself. She excused herself to the toilet, leaving the group of devils in the room, before she started sprinting towards the nearest toilet. Her coughing was getting more serious now, and she covered her mouth with her hands as she raced along the corridors.

Yukimura frowned slightly at a familiar scent, being the one with the sharpest senses, he noticed it amost instantly.

"Fuji." He exchanged looks with him, confirming the smell that had assaulted his nasal when the tensai nodded at him.

It was the smell of blood. Fresh blood.

* * *

I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS, but I do own the story :D

This fanfiction story is dedicated to thfourteenth, who requested for a supernatural story, combined with romance.

Thankyou very much to those who reviewed! It made me very happy! ^^ And I got more motivated to write! I hope you will continue to support me in my writing!

Comments are most welcome, and I don't really mind flames if they come with constructive comments. Do tell me what you think of this story I would love to hear words of encouragement and compliments if you find this to your liking of course, I mean who doesn't? And comments on how to improve my writing would be nice too!

Well, that's all. I'll try to update both of my stories. ^^

Life-destiny

Note: I'm off to a chalet for this week, and won't be back till Friday. So my updating of the fanfics may not be as fast this week. Hope you don't mind! I really need a break ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**DANCE OF DESTINY**

Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be achieved.

_-William Jennings Bryan_

CHAPTER 3

Yukimura, Fuji and the rest of the gang looked up as two downcasted males made their way into the lounge specially built for their use. Quirking an eyebrow, they watched as Marui and Kikumaru sank into the sofa with a deep sigh, looking almost dejected.

"So, Echizen-chan refused your offers to eat with us again." Fuji mused as he took a slow long sip from his cup. The pair nodded, their lips in a pout as they sulked.

"Why are you all so-" Kirihara paused as if to find the correct word to use, "fascinated… with her?"

His statement earned glares and grunts from the group as they denied having any fascination towards the said female at all. It was apparent that Kirihara was the only one who did not find her interesting, and even seemed to be uncomfortable with her at always. He was always slipping away whenever she appeared, and even when they met, he would suspiciously dodge her glances and quickly excuse himself. The other members often tried to pried out the reason for his behaviour, but him being Kirihara, he would always manage to successfully diverge the topic. To all, it seemed as though he was keeping something behind them.

And then it came without any warning.

The smell of blood penetrated each of their noses, and Fuji sent a pointed glance at Yukimura. It was definitely the same smell as the day before, only stronger this time, and both could tell that it wasn't human blood, but rather devil blood. There was something off to it however, the smell was more nauseating, and though it contained the basic smell of devil blood, there was something more to it. Fuji and Yukimura looked up to see that everyone else had caught onto the smell as well, and they were looking the both of them. Having a better sense of smell than the others, Yukimura could pinpoint the exact location of the source of the blood, and as he rose the rest of the group promptly followed.

They quickened their pace, still mindfully keeping at human speed so as not to cause any commotion, but each of them painfully grimaced as the nauseating strong stench got stronger as they got closer. By now everyone could tell that the source was coming from the roof-top, and each of them was wondering the same thing. The only devils in Dragon Academy included the people from the Rikkai Clan, Seishun Clan as well as the Hyotei Clan. No other devils had enrolled in the academy. And since it was devil blood they detected, it was clear that there was an unknown devil in their school, and they wanted to know who.

And as suddenly as the smell appeared, it vanished within a split second. There was absolutely no trace or scent left and the group stared at each other in astonishment. It was impossible for a scent to totally disappear within a second, they reasoned, but no matter how hard they tried, they could not catch hold to a whisp of the previously strong stench. Curious, they continued their way to the roof-top, which the smell previously had originated from and as they pushed open the door, each of them held their breath in anticipation.

The sight that greeted them was not one which they had expected.

"Echizen-chan?" They chorused as the familiar figure turned her face to look at them.

"You guys." She stated almost exasperatingly, as though she knew that they were coming. "Are you done with stalking me?"

"We're not stalking you… Did you happen to see or smell anything unusual while you were here?" Tezuka stepped forward as enquired.

"See or hear…?" She paused meaningfully, "Well, no. Am I suppose to see or hear anything?" She raised her eyebrow as she stared at them quizzically.

They shook their heads in unison. Since she was just a normal human, the scent of the devil blood would not be detacted by her, and they highly doubt that a devil would kill before a human. It was against the rules which devils and absolutes had decided on. No devil was suppose to show their powers before a normal human.

Puzzled, most of the group dismissed the scent and started going back to the lounge. Fuji, Yukimura, Renji and Inui however, decided to file these into the back of their minds for the moment, meaning that they would have to research on it later. Marui's voice soon brought them staring at him.

"Hey, where's Kirihara!"

Later that Day

Looking at the respectable male seated before him, Fuji gave one of his rare smiles that trully showed his feelings. The said male reciprocated his smile with a smile of his own and motioned for him to sit. Leaning forward, Fuji bit his lips as he wondered how he would phrase his question towards his father.

"Otosan, what kind of blood has the smell that resembles devil blood but is more nauseating?"

The male's eyes twinkled as he pondered over the question. He was a powerful person, the head of the Seishun Clan, and possessed immense powers. But at the same time he was unexpectedly gentle, and preferred literature to violence, which was why Fuji was asking him. He believed that his father knew the answers to many things, and was patient in teaching him. He was awakened from his own musings as his father threw back a question at him. "Why did you ask?"

Recounting what had happened in the afternoon, he explained how the scent disappeared within a second, and when he looked up, he was surprised by the amused but sad look in his father's eyes.

"Fuji," He gently called, "The scent, do you remember how it was like? That is the smell of a devil overrode by greed and desire, the smell of a devil that has abandoned it's sanity for the purpose of gaining more power." The look of sadness was so great within his father's eyes as he almost whispered out the last sentence. "Do not let you blood contain such stench, Fuji. Never let greed take over your heart."

With that last sentence, his father promptly excused himself, leaving Fuji wondering what had caused his father to show such a look of agony. He could not make any connections between what his father had said and what had happened in the afternoon. Sighing, he made his way out of the study a few minutes later only to stumble on the conversation between his father and mother.

"Fuji asked about the blood of the… … And I didn't have the heart to tell him…." His father's voice was extremely soft, and even with his sense of hearing he could only catch a few words here and there. He watched as his mother's eyes opened in astonishment, and caught a few words of what she was saying. "Don't worry… he won't… … It'll be okay." He was more confused than ever. But he decided to leave his parents alone. After all it wasn't good to eavesdrop on others.

Bringing his mate into a hug, Fuji's father gave her a comforting hug as he sensed Fuji's presence at the door.

"I believe that he will one day learn about something more powerful than power itself."

The Next Day

The absence of Ryoma was unexpected. Marui and Kikumaru stood waiting by the pathway which Ryoma always took as usual, and it wasn't half an hour of waiting later did they realised that Ryoma either had taken another route to her classroom, or that she was absent. A quick trip to her classroom confirmed the later.

As such, both of them were in low spirits for the whole day, insisting that nothing in school interested them now that Ryoma wasn't in school, and truth to be told, everyone shared the sendiments. Not that they would admit it, but her presence did seemed to brighten up the atmosphere, despite the fact that she was annoyed with them most of the time. She wasn't exactly sociable, she preferred keeping to herself, and for half the time she was with them she seemed to be suffering from headaches, but it was undeniable that while she was with them there was at least something to tease and laugh at. Now that she was absent, the group lapsed into the familiar silence that they've known before she came, except for the constant whining of Marui and Kikumaru.

Yukimura was especially torn between his feelings. Part of him felt relieved that she was absent, and the other longed for her to be near him. It was ironic in every sense of the word. She intrigued him. He admitted that she was quite unlike any other females he had made before. For one, females were always striked by his beauty, even though they were too afraid to approach him. This female however didn't seemed to even find him attractive, he could tell. For two, females were always weak in his opinion, but this female didn't seemed to be weak. She commanded attention, demanded respect, and even with her bad attitude everyone – devils and humans flocked around her. It was irritating really, and Yukimura was abraded by the fact that one such normal female could possible have the same influence on others as his species have.

Call him an elitist, but he had always believed in the fact that devils were superior to others, not to mention that he was discriminatory against females as well. His experience with them was definitely most horrifying as they viewed him as though he was a steak to be devoured. Women were greedy and spiteful creatures, and in his opinion, if one wasn't careful enough one would get stab in the back.

One lone girl seemed to have proved every of his theories wrong.

And he didn't like it.

So it must meant that he didn't like the girl, Yukimura decided. But wait, when did he ever liked females?

So when the Marui suggested paying a visit to Ryoma's house, he was totally against it. His brain, heart and soul was shouting no, but when almost the entire group of devils not so subtly agreed, he had no choice but to comply. If he were to refuse, Inui and Renji would probably analyse his data and come up with interesting reasons for him, or worst still, find out the true reason. He would rather die that to face the humiliation of being exposed of the fact that he was troubling over a mere human.

Kirihara opted out rather blatantly. Three minutes later, he decided to change his mind, with the 'persuasion' by Fuji being the main reason. Fuji reasoned that as kind caring classmates and seniors, visiting an ill junior was basic courtesy. Somehow, the way he had phrased it, it seemed to be directed at Yukimura, and the later scowled unpleasantly at him.

And so the trip to Ryoma's house begain. They found her address with much ease, and clutching the tiny scrap of paper with her address on it, the entire group of devils decided to walk to her house, since it wasn't far from school. Minutes later, most of the said group decided that walking wasn't exactly the best choice, since it earned them plenty of unwanted attention, and there were moments where human females attempted to throw themselves onto them. Since they couldn't exert any powers before a normal human, the best they could do was to dodge, or run, or in Atobe's case, bask in pleasure at being popular among girls. It was a hard 10 minute journey to Ryoma's house, but they managed to arrive in one piece before Ryoma's door.

Yukimura frown. There was something odd about Ryoma's house. It was too clean, or more precisely, he could not detect any scent coming from the house. Humans, Absolutes, Devils all have their characteristic scent, and no matter how clean a house was there was always a scent left behind. He caught himself, and groaned. Everything about Ryoma was odd.

Marui and Kikumara enthusiastically banged on the door, and from the other side of the door came a man's voice, "Coming!"

The voice sounded familiar, both Fuji and Yukimura noted. In fact, it sounded like…

"Yukimura? Fuji? You guys?" Ryoga's jaw dropped as he scanned through the crowd before him.

"Ryoga?" The group chorused.

"Eh? Oh, come in first!" Ryoga grinned. "You guys sure are lucky, the monster isn't back yet."

After everyone swarmed into the room and settled down at the living room, Ryoga returned with cans of Ponta for everyone. Deep down, he hoped that Ryoma would not notice a sudden decrease in the number of cans of her favourite drink. He shivered in fright before dismissing that thought.

"So… What brings you here today? Why the sudden visit?"

"Ryoma was absent from school today, so we figured that she was ill and decided to pay her a visit. This is the address that she had given the school. We didn't expect to see you though." Fuji explained.

"Oh." Ryoga hesitated. He was treading on thin waters right now. "So… She didn't tell you about her… well, job?"

"What job?" Marui asked enthusiatically. "Ryoma has a job? Is she a model?"

"I can't tell you that. You'll have to get her to tell you herself." Ryoga grinned mysteriously, while his brain was screaming at him for his stupidity. Ryoma would no doubt be willing to kill him.

"Speaking of which, what exactly is your relationship with - " BAM.

Someone was knocking the door rather impatiently. Ryoga hastily peered out from the door hole and his eyes widen in horror. Without saying a word he strode to the wall beside the television, and placed his palm on it before concentrating his devil powers onto his palm. Almost instantly the sound of a latch being open was heard and the group gasped as a portion of the wall shifted outwards and it slide aside to reveal what was known as a secret room. Ryoga pushed the entire group into the room, and while they were still recovering from their initial shock he went out and the wall slide back in, trapping them in the room.

The wall was transparent, it seemed, and they could see exactly what was going on in the living room. However, anyone from the living room could not possibly detect them. An extremely well built and designed hidden chamber, Yukimura mused, but why would Ryoga have such chambers at home? The hidden room was well furnished, and there were even some dry food stored in it along with a water tap. Most of all, Yukimura knew that this wasn't just an ordinary hidden chamber. When he was locked in, he tried concentrating his powers into his fingers and gave the walls a push. A normal cement wall would have had a dent in it, but there wasn't even any sratch on the walls of this room. It was a powerful chamber designed to protect its refugee from external harm.

Ryoga could feel more than 20 pairs of eyes staring at his back through the wall, and as he opened the door he prayed that Ryoma would not notice that something was amissed.

"Ryoma." He managed a weak smile at her as she stepped past him into the living room. It was weird though, for her to forget her keys. Closing the door, he continued to frown. He was sure that she took her keys this morning before going out. In fact he saw her slip it into her pockets right before him. Was he wrong?

She turned and stared at him, her tongue wetting her lower lip as though getting ready for a meal. Ryoga shivered. This person, it wasn't Ryoma!

Too late. He watched as her face begain to contort, and a crack formed on her forehead as the skin started to split, revealing the monster within.

The group gasped. The smell was most definitely the smell of a devil, and it resembled the smell that they had detected the day before! Yet they took in the appearance of a creature so vile that there was no physical similarity at all. Dark evil power emitted from her, and in her true form, it looked essentially like the human form, but the skin of her back was peeling, and all of them could see something growing from the revealed flesh. It was shaped like a tiny embryo but it seemed to be pulsing, and gave off such an ominous feeling that even the devils flinched.

"That's Ryoma?" Kikumara trembled. "How can it be, wasn't she a human? She…" Silence followed as everyone of them thought of the accusation. In terms of pure data, as provided by Inui and Renji, they were 99% sure that she was hiding something from them, but it never occurred to them that she might actually be a devil herself. And to be so… dark.

"Impossible." Kirihara's sharp and blunt comment cut through the silence. "Her aura isn't of that colour."

And before anyone could say anything, the activity in the living room brought their attention back to it.

Without a warning the female had pounced on Ryoga, sending him flying across the room only to be pushed against the television. He struggled wildly, jerking his hand in an attempt to hit the monster but failed. In terms of sheer power the monster was by far stronger than he and he was pushed back by the immense dark power. He gasped as he saw the monster opened her mouth, aiming for his throat.

The group went white. Instantly the devils begain to release their powers, hoping to break out from the room to help Ryoga. Truth to be told, the monster wasn't very strong, but Ryoga was rather weak in terms of his devil powers. The efforts were in vain, as the walls did not even budge. It was infuriating, watching a friend in danger and yet being unable to do anything.

Ryoga closed his eyes as the mouth drew nearer. He could sense the blood stench chocking his senses, felt the mouth came within a centimeter from his neck, his heart beating furiously, images flashing across his mind. He heard a roar filled with hatred and anticipated the teeth to sink into his throat.

But nothing happened.

Five seconds later he opened his eyes by a crack, and never in his life had he been so happy to sight the familiar aura.

Ryoma stood by the doorway, her hands on her hips as her aura flared, the greenish blue aura spreading and it encased the monster, trapping her. Seconds later an aura blade slashed through the monster and Ryoga slipped down when he was released from the monster's hold. A frantic cry, a shrill shriek. And then it was gone, it's smell vanishing along with it within a second.

Staring at the mess of her living room Ryoma sighed.

I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS, but I do own the story :D

A big THANK YOU to Tanya for pointing out that there was some inconsistency within the story. It was my mistake, cause I was actually referring to Fuji talking to his father, but somehow it became Yukimura :P I think I was thinking about Yukimura too much! So here's the edited and newer version ^^

Sorry for being on a haitus for so long, but school restarted, homework flowed, tests came and in the end I didn't update very much. So now I'm making use of my june holidays writing :D Hope you guys don't lose faith in me or something, and continue giving me your support ^^ Thankyou!

Comments are most welcome, and I don't really mind flames if they come with constructive comments. Do tell me what you think of this story I would love to hear words of encouragement and compliments if you find this to your liking. Of course, I mean who doesn't? And comments on how to improve my writing would be nice too!

_Life Destiny_


	4. Chapter 4

**DANCE OF DESTINY**

Destiny is not a matter of chance; but a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, It is a thing to be achieved.

_-__William Jennings Bryan_

CHAPTER 4

"Didn't I tell you to hide within the secret room whenever … things like this turn up." Ryoma's voice reverberated across the room as she strode forward and helped Ryoga up onto a nearby chair.

"I… the room…" Ryoga stuttered, still trying to recover himself from the frightful experience while his mind tried to think of a plausible excuse in his shocked state.

"Seriously, don't tell me you have forgotten how to activate the door!" Ryoma glared at him as she started demonstrating, then yelped in surprised as the wall slided to reveal its inhabitants, all of which were staring at her.

"You guys?" Her golden orbs widened as she took in the sight before her, the smell of used devil powers invoking her senses.

"… Ryoma?" Tezuka was the first to break the silence. "Since when did you possess such powers?"

"… Since I was borned."

As all of them sat within a circle in Ryoma's messed up living quarters, each silently sipping their drinks and waiting for Ryoma to start her explainations, Ryoma's head started to throbbed.

For one, they weren't suppose to find out her identity this fast. Yes, it was her fault, her miscalculation that had caused this, but seriously how was she supposed to know that they would barge into her house like this so suddenly. For two, this meant that they were dragged into trouble along with her. They weren't suppose to see anything, know anything, be in anything related to her. Knowing them, once the full story was out, they would no doubt foolishly run straight into trouble. For three, it didn't take a genius to know that some had taken this revelation rather badly, like Yukimura for instance. And it spelt big trouble for her.

"Alright, let's get this straight. I'm a seeker. Not a normal human, not a devil, but a seeker. Is that clear?" Ryoma stated. And before anyone could break her train of thoughts, she continued.

"And I work as a sort of agent to destroy the fallen devils, which you have all seen just know."

"What is that 'fallen devils' thing?" Kikumaru enquired.

"Basically fallen devils are devils who, erm… due to some reason, have gone crazy and start attacking people? I don't know. Wait. I'll get Rin to come and explain to you guys, she's better at all these things anyway. So, skipping that question, what else do you want to know?"

"Why didn't you tell us?" Fuji finally asked the dreaded question that rendered Ryoma speechless. It was also the biggest question everyone had in mind at that moment.

"… Would it help? Even if I told you all, that is."

"Didn't you trust us? Why? We trusted you!"

"It's not so simple as to whether or not I trust you. Those guys are dangerous! Do you even know how helplessly weak you guys are?"

To Yukimura, who was already angry and aggravated that he was tricked by this female, who in his opinion abused his trust, the mere declaration of them, him being weak was the last straw for him. For once the beast within his took over his logical being and in a flash he pounced on Ryoma, his aura flooding the entire room.

There was instant chaos. The rest of the devils, fearing for Ryoma's life, tried their best to tear Yukimura off Ryoma, Ryoga was screaming, Yukimura was roaring, his conscious mind had yet to kick into action, and only Ryoma seemed to be unfazed. She was shocked at his suddenly loss of control, but she didn't appear to be afraid.

"I'll kill you. I'm not weak!" Growled Yukimura as his hands flashed dangerously across her neck. Yes, he would show her who was the weaker of them two.

"You don't need to kill her to show that you're strong." A foreign voice invaded, and before anyone could respond a blast of silver aura pried Yukimura off Ryoma and restrained him like a straitjacket.

The devils looked upwards to find a girl of around Ryoma's age staring emotionlessly at them, her black hair tied back into a long ponytail. Finally those silver casted eyes landed on Ryoma with mirth as Ryoma impassively picked herself off the ground.

"Rin." She acknowledged.

"You have a new task." Rin simply stated. A glance and a smirk was all it took for both to understand each other's wordless request and thoughts. Ryoma sighed in relieve.

"I'm out. Ask her to explain." Ryoma stated as she jerked a thumb in Rin's direction, before leaving the house.

No one tried to stop her. Rin seated herself onto the floor before she retrieved her aura back to herself. "Are you finally calm?" She questioned Yukimura, and received no response. Shrugging, she glanced at the crowd, drawing their attention to her before she started telling them the entire story.

As all have known, humans with devil like powers were termed as seekers. Even among the seekers, there were different ranking of the powers. Most of these seekers possess weak or basic powers, which could aid them in daily life, but could not be put to use in actually combat. Then there were a bunch of seekers who possess combat fitting powers, which are much stronger and can be used to fight and protect oneself. Out of which, only a handful of them are well trained.

Both Ryoma and Rin belonged to an organisation that trained this group of powerful seekers to control and master their powers. Over time, extremely powerful seekers could then master a skill that is uniquely theirs. These handful of seekers are then sent on different missions.

It was once rather peaceful, and missions had usually include the capture of evil devils that were on the run, or to control devils who had lost control of their own powers. However, recently it seemed as though a new problem had surfaced.

The beings known as fallen devils came into existance. A new evil being had come into existance. Using the devils' wish to become more powerful, it tapped on the darkness within the devils to turn the devils into mindless power sucking killers that would attack any being with powers to absorb the power into their body. It was no longer like the evil devils, these fallen devils were undaunted by death, driven only by their hunger for more power, thus making them extremely dangerous and powerful. After all, one that had abandoned the fear of death had nothing to hold them back.

The pulsing embryo that they all sighted was like a drug that only served to hasten the speed of them falling into darkness. And it had became Ryoma's and her job to destroy these creatures before more people are hurt.

Both were instructed not to let anyone know of their powers, as it would only make them more expose to danger. Partially it was to protect oneself, and the other, to protect those around them.

"But how would this protect us?" Marui asked.

"Simple. When we show our powers, our aura rubs off onto you, and this attracts those fallen devils to consume you and your powers. By not showing our powers before you, it decreases the chance of you being attacked. Ryoma cares about you guys very much, even though she doesn't show it."

"Care? She's just a thieving sly woman who is no different from the rest!" Snorted Yukimura as he exited the room, leaving everyone behind. He was furious, angry at the fact that for an instant he had almost believed in her. After all, all these about protecting them, it was just a lie wasn't it? She had no intention of protecting them at all, and approached them by acting weak and human. He felt betrayed.

A pair of watchful eyes stared at him as he made his way out.

I DO NOT OWN PRINCE OF TENNIS, but I do own the story :D

I haven't updated for a long time, and for that I apologise. I was preparing for my O levels, which is over by now, and afterwards I was in this state of euphoria that I almost forgot about the story! Thankyou for reminding me! Anyway, this is a short chapter, cause actually I'm at a loss of how to continue the story. You know sometimes you plan out how the start and the end goes, but in between you have writer's block. I'll see how! But once again a very big thankyou to all those that are still reading this and supporting me! ^^

Comments are most welcome, and I don't really mind flames if they come with constructive comments. Do tell me what you think of this story I would love to hear words of encouragement and compliments if you find this to your liking. Of course, I mean who doesn't? And comments on how to improve my writing would be nice too!

_Life Destiny_


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